


Five Times Charlie Thomas Comforted Mary Anne Spier and one time she comforted him

by bloodredcherries



Category: Baby-Sitters Club & Related Fandoms, Baby-Sitters Club - All Media Types, Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2017-01-15
Packaged: 2018-09-17 17:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9336104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodredcherries/pseuds/bloodredcherries
Summary: Charlie has known Mary Anne since she was a little girl...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OzQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OzQueen/gifts).



> This was supposed to go in your fandom_stocking but I am so fed up with them after my attempts to post the stupid thing that I am just giving it to you now.

**Charlie is six. Mary Anne is two.**

 

 

Charlie didn't understand what the fuss was all about.

 

After all, Mary Anne had just gone to visit her grandparents and Charlie and Sam went to visit Nannie _all the time_. But Mr. Spier had been so _sad_ while Mary Anne was gone, so, in 5-almost 6-year old wisdom, Charlie had the sense to say nothing. Even though he would _much rather_ have been playing catch in the yard with Sam and Dad, he had gone over to the Spiers' house with Mom, Sam, and Kristy, cake in tow, to say hello to their new-old neighbor. The Kishis' from across the street were there as well, and his mother had tried to entice him to play with Janine, but Charlie had decided that that was even more boring than being in the room with Mary Anne, Kristy, Claudia, and their parents. 

 

At least Mr. Spier could name all the Mets, Charlie thought to himself, shaking his head. Janine hadn't even known what baseball _was_. 

 

Plus, Mom had the cake. And Charlie wanted some. He vaguely remembered Mary Anne from Before. When Mrs. Spier was alive and she was a very little baby and Mr. Spier had actually smiled and seemed happy. She was bigger now, just like Kristy and Claudia were bigger. 

 

The grownups were distracted -- they were having Boring Conversations that Janine was listening in on -- and so Charlie was the only one who was close enough to Mary Anne when Kristy gave a loud roar and pounced on her, causing the other toddler to shriek loudly and burst into tears, curling in on herself. 

 

Kristy just gaped. "I'm a lion," she insisted, shoving a sticky finger in Mary Anne's face, "but I'm a _good_ lion. You're not supposed to cry." The combination of the word lion and Kristy's loud tone made Mary Anne sob even louder. Charlie felt the need to take charge.

 

"Hey," he said in a quiet tone. "Would some cake make you feel better?" The small toddler nodded, peering at him with teary eyes. "Mom made the bestest cake," he continued. "You should get the first piece."

 

Mary Anne sniffled loudly, and he reached out and squeezed her hand. His Mom squeezed her Dad's hand lotsa times when he cried. Charlie figured that it worked the same for Mary Anne. 

 

"Come on," he told her, smiling encouragingly at her. "I'll tell them to cut you a big one."

 

 

**Charlie is ten. Mary Anne is six.**

 

 

Kristy came home spitting mad about the Mother's Day tea party -- she had said some incredibly colorful things that had made Charlie suspect immensely that she had been privy to more of Mom and Patrick's fighting than he had previously thought -- and their babysitter had sent her to her room before going off to talk to her friends on their back stoop, using the cordless phone that Mom had bought on account. So, naturally, their doorbell chimed and Louie barked, and Charlie opened the door to see Mary Anne standing there, clad in the outfit she had worn when Charlie and -- _ugh_ \-- Janine had walked them to school that day. 

 

"I don't have a dad," he offered, even though he had meant to say hello or something slightly less likely to return Mary Anne to a tear-filled state. Though sometimes hello did do that, he mused. "I mean...I know what happened today," he sighed. "Kristy is on punishment, but...you can talk to me if you want to." He shrugged, sure that the news that Kristy was grounded would have sent Mary Anne away. 

 

"Why is Kristy being punished?" Mary Anne asked in a quiet tone, following him into the house. "Is it because of me?" Her lip quivered, and Charlie sighed. 

 

"No, she's just in a mood," he said vaguely. "Mom made brownies yesterday," he told her. "I think there's enough left for us to have them."

 

Mary Anne sniffled. "Okay..." She agreed, trailing off. "You don't think I'm a baby?" She asked.

 

Charlie shrugged. "You're not a baby," he said. "You're six and you shouldn't have had to deal with the situation on your own." At least that was what his mother had said when he had eavesdropped on her and Mr. Spier the night before. "I miss my dad." He admitted softly. "I know I should be mad he abandoned us, but I really miss him."

 

Mary Anne swallowed the bite of brownie she had been eating before responding. "Kristy really misses him too," she sighed. "I think that's why she's so angry. Thank you for the brownie."

 

"You're welcome," he said, nudging her shoulder playfully. "You wanna watch Wheel?"

 

Mary Anne's eyes widened, and she nodded. "You won't tell my dad? I don't know that I'm allowed to watch it."

 

 

**Charlie is sixteen. Mary Anne is twelve.**

 

 

"I am _not_ a kindergarten baby!" Charlie heard Mary Anne scream at his sister's retreating back, and he inwardly sighed, mentally gearing himself up for another episode of Woe is Me: the Kristin Amanda Thomas Story. "I can be friends with whomever I want to be friends with, and you _cannot_ stop me! You're not my _jailer_ , Kristy!"

 

Charlie couldn't quite hear Kristy's response, but he definitely heard the Thomases' front door slam -- practically breaking its hinges -- and the thundering of his sister storming up the stairs, a bewildered Louie following in her wake. He debated inwardly about going after her, before deciding, mainly for the sake of his sanity, to go after Mary Anne instead. At the very least she would be _quieter_ to deal with than Kristy. 

 

"What happened?" He asked the younger girl, attempting for casual, and he watched her face redden and her gaze drop to the ground before responding. 

 

"I made a new friend and Kristy made her _hate me_ ," Mary Anne spat (well, as much as she _could_ anyways), crossing her arms. "Her name is Dawn and she came here from _California_ and Kristy and Stacey have been _so mean to me all week_ and I just wanted a friend." 

 

"I'm sure that you can fix things with Dawn," Charlie offered, trying to cheer the now crying Mary Anne up. "Explain that Kristy can be hard headed and that you didn't mean to upset her, I'm sure your friendship isn't over forever." 

 

Mary Anne sniffled. "It's not just that," she said, after a moment. "I hate dressing like this and I hate wearing these stupid braids and my dad doesn't get it," she blurted out. "I feel like he just thinks I'm a little kid."

 

Charlie said nothing, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. "I think your dad will come 'round," he offered her, after a moment. "Maybe you need to give him some time."

 

"You really think so?" She asked, peering at him, a braid falling into her face. He nodded. 

 

"Yeah," he said. "I do." 

 

She managed a slight smile, shouldering her abandoned school bag and turning to walk into her house. "Thanks, Charlie," she said, waving at him over her shoulder. "You're always willing to listen to me."

 

 

**Charlie is seventeen. Mary Anne is thirteen.**

 

 

Usually, Charlie's conversations with Mary Anne happened accidentally, but, with her living in their house for the moment, he had decided to seek her out. Unlike everyone else in his family -- specifically two people whose names started with K -- he had purposefully given the Schafer-Spiers a wide berth since their arrival in the dead of night. But, it had been over a week, so he had decided that they could talk. 

 

"I remember your mom," he said softly, sitting down on the couch beside Mary Anne, who was looking through one of the Thomas-Brewers' old photo albums, clearly trying to find her own old memories to cling to. "Not much, but I remember her." He sighed. "I'm sure my mom will make copies of the pictures for you guys," he offered, stating the obvious.

 

"I don't want to move," she replied, closing the photo album and setting it down on the table in front of them. "But Dad and Sharon think I'm being selfish and then I feel terrible about it." She sniffled. "When my mom died I had to move to Iowa," she elaborated. "And I try to understand that decision and I think it was for the best at the time, and I think that Dad did the best he could dealing with my mother's parents." She was rambling, but Charlie didn't stop her. He suspected that this was the first time she had said anything about this to anyone. "I can't move away again." She said. "I can't...I have to be here, with my friends, to heal." She sniffled. 

 

"You should tell them that," he said softly, putting a friendly arm around her shoulders. "I know that they'll understand. They won't just think that you're a selfish teenager if you explain."

 

"Was she nice?" Mary Anne asked. "My mom?"

 

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, she was nice," he said. "I was little...but she really loved you."

 

For the first time in over a week, he spotted a genuine smile from Mary Anne. "Thanks, Charlie. That means a lot to me." 

 

"You're welcome." 

 

She reached over and turned on the television, switching it from the game to Wheel of Fortune. "You want to watch with me?"

 

 

**Charlie is twenty-five. Mary Anne is twenty-one.**

 

"Okay, Dad, thanks," Charlie heard Mary Anne say, sounding shockingly subdued, even for herself. "I appreciate you letting me know. I'll call you later." He watched as Mary Anne returned the house phone to its cradle with decided force, before she slammed the lid down on the pot she had been making soup in. Even if they _hadn't_ been dating for over three years, Charlie's years of knowledge honed from Mary Anne being Kristy's best friend meant that something terrible had happened. Mary Anne _never_ hung up on her father. And she rarely slammed things.

 

"My grandmother died," she told him, once he'd entered their kitchen, confusion written all over his face. "My mother's mother. Verna."

 

Mary Anne's relationship with Verna had been...complex, to say the least. They went through periods of speaking to each other and not speaking to each other, and Charlie had long since given up figuring out their dynamics. He supposed it was sort of like his relationship with Patrick, minus the years of parental abandonment. He also supposed he would be upset when Patrick died. Maybe.

 

"Do you want to go to the funeral?" He asked. Mary Anne pursed her lips. 

 

"I don't know," she said flatly, letting out a sigh. "She was my grandmother, so I _should_ go. But...I don't know." She shook her head. "Would you come with me?"

 

There were no tears, but her tone wavered. Charlie nodded. "Of course," he said, reaching up behind her and giving her a hug. "I'd go anywhere for you, you know that." 

 

"I know," she said, sadly. "I was just so rude to my dad," she bemoaned, eyes widening. 

 

"It's alright," he assured her. "He understands. You got some shocking news, it's alright." 

 

Mary Anne nestled her head against his chest, sniffling quietly. "I'll call him back in a little bit," she mumbled, wetting the fabric of his t-shirt with her tears. "Thanks, Charlie. I really love you."

 

"I love you too," he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

 

 

**Mary Anne is fourteen. Charlie is eighteen.**

 

 

"Is everything okay?" Mary Anne asked, coming out of her house to find Charlie sitting on the curb, a look of pure misery on his face. "Charlie?" She sat down beside him, wincing somewhat as the hot concrete touched her bare skin, and he wordlessly handed her an envelope, which she opened to see it contained an invitation. A baby shower invitation.

 

"Why doesn't he want us?" Charlie asked, his tone broken. "Why couldn't we have ever been good enough?"

 

The baby shower invitation is from Patrick and his new wife, and Mary Anne barely resists the temptation to hand shred it into a thousand pieces. She is fairly certain that the world should be grateful that Kristy is at Camp Mohawk for the summer, as she suspects her friend will react far worse than her eldest brother. 

 

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I don't understand and I don't even think he understands," she told him, slipping the invitation back in its envelope. "You are good enough, though," she said firmly. "He just doesn't get to appreciate that." 

 

Charlie looked up at her, his face wan. "Thanks, Mary Anne." 

 

"You're welcome," Mary Anne said. "Did you want to come in?" She asked. Charlie's eyes went wide. "No, it's alright. Dad's at work," she told him. "But Sharon is home, and Jeff and his friends are here. You can see Jeff's ridiculous Bat Cave."

 

She pushed herself off the curb and offered Charlie her hand to get up, surprised when he took it. "I always wanted a Bat Cave," he admitted, sounding downright wistful. "Okay," he said, sounding somewhat more cheery than before. "At least it will distract me. Maybe Sharon has some heavy furniture she wants re-arranged." His lips quirked in a smile, and she giggled, feeling a light blush come to her cheeks. 

 

 _Mary Anne_ , she chided inwardly. _You are about to be a freshman in high school_. _He is way too old for you_. 

 

"I'm sure she can find something for you to move, if that will help," she offered. "You can try the cake she made." 

 

"Cake?" Charlie asked, perking up. 

 

"Well, sort of," she said. "I wouldn't get too excited, it's vegan." 


End file.
